STREAM SUPPLY OF DISSOLVED SILVER MOLYBDENUM ANTIMONY SELENIUM CHROMIUM COBALT RUBIDIUM AND CESIUM TO OCEANS

Using a freeze-dry method of concentration with high purity sodium carbonate as carrier, 12 rivers from the United States and the world have been analyzed each for several or all of the following elements: Ag, Sb, Cr, Co, Rb, Cs, Se and Mo. The greatest variations in concentration among the rivers were observed for Sb, Cr and Mo. In addition to the dissolved trace element load of streams an attempt was made to estimate the additional supply of soluble material to the oceans as the result of adsorption on particles in streams and desorption on contact with sea water. Cobalt has an additional supply by this mechanism equal to about twice the dissolved load while silver and selenium add only an additional 10 per cent more and chromium and molybdenum none. © 1968.